Restarting Chemo

FINALLY after several road blocks I am, once again, back on chemo. I anxiously started again last night. I still have the "shock" feelings but they are not as frequent as before however, they do occur daily. I am not, at this point, convinced that it is a result of abruptly halting my anti-depressants since it is still with me despite the fact that I removed myself from them several months ago. My headaches have come back over the past week or so which is why I have been so ready to begin treatment again. The headaches subside with the Chemo treatments and become almost non-existent. I have also experienced some dizziness and nausea as a result of these headaches. This round is the second of the higher dosage and I'm not quite sure what to expect. I will update as soon as I can once this round has commenced. As always, thank you all for your constant and continued support. It really is the difference between getting through this or not.

August 20 MRI Results

I'm relieved to tell you that the results of Wednesdays MRI were very good. There is no growth of the tumor at all, even after skipping Chemo for a month. The doctors seem to think that the "shock" feelings were a side effect of taking myself off of my anti-depressants abruptly. It has been fading in and out for the past three days or so and I am told it should just go away with time. I will resume Chemo again on August 27th.

Halting Chemo

My Doctors appointment yesterday did not go quite so well. I have new symptoms that have developed and others that have worsened. For the past week I have experienced feelings that I can only describe as electric shock whenever I move. These feelings are strongest when I have eye movement or when I'm walking, primarily when my feet touch the ground. On the worst days I also experience some minor dizziness. Memory has also been an increasing issue over the past several weeks. I have been frustrated about it but I shrugged it off as stress, my Doctor is not so convinced. She put me through the usual memory test yesterday and I didn't do so well. She has decided to stop the Chemo treatments immediately and I will undergo a three hour MRI on the morning of Aug 20 at 9:00 am, followed by a neuro-oncologist visit at 3:oo pm that same day to review the results. These exams are to see what is causing my "shock" feelings and to see if the tumor has advanced or grown.

MRI results and Chemo round 3

I had another MRI 2weeks ago and the results were positive. The images showed no growth of the tumor. My neuro-oncologist did not expect to see any shrinkage this early, that usually doesn't begin until the 4th treatment. She did, however, increase the dose on my Chemo to 400mg. I was surprised that the small increase did result in some more intense side effects. I did experience some nausea for one day and the exhaustion level was elevated and longer lasting. I will begin my 4th treatment in mid Aug followed by another MRI to see if the tumor begins to shrink.

2nd round of Chemo

I finished my 2nd round of Chemo on sunday and so far have yet to experience any nausea or illness. To date my only side effect has been severe exhaustion that lasts for approx 2 weeks, each day being a bit better than the one before. My 4th, 5th, and 6th days are the worst and I am unable to work on those days. I am taking a trip to Pennsylvania to see my sister and I will return on July 7th. Upon my return I will have another MRI (my first since treatment began) to see how effective the Chemo has been, if at all. The good news is that I have suffered very few headaches in the last month and all of my weekly blood tests have come back in the normal range.

First treatment complete

David made it through his first treatment feeling pretty good, but VERY sleepy. He said he would rather sleep a lot then have other issues from the treatment.

More news to come if needed before the June treatment.

Chemo started

David started his chemotherapy Wednesday and is feeling very tired, but OK. He will be off work until May 14.

Chemo date set

Due to an upcoming business trip, David has decided to start his chemo treatment on or after May 5.

Drugs arrived

David's chemotherapy drugs arrived Saturday and he is now checking with his schedule on when he will start his first round. The start may be late this week or after May 5.

Chemo Delay

Due to a delay in the chemotherapy drugs arriving, David is not starting his treatment today. He has to special order the drugs since they are not available at standard drug stores all the time.

Treatments

David will begin these treatments next week:

• Temozolomide (Temodar) 350mg, chemotherapy medication

• Zofran 8mg, a high-power nausea medication

• Nexium 40mg, heartburn medication
  

Weekly blood tests will commence for the entire treatment year. He will also be on a low- or no-fat diet leading into and during the treatment weeks.

Chemotherapy to start April 16

David had an appointment with his neuro-oncologist today. 



Since an MRI in January, his tumor has grown slightly so they are continuing on the path to begin chemotherapy treatments. These are set to start on April 16. The Baylor Tumor Board agreed that this was the correct treatment option for this grade of tumor.



The treatment is taken two pills per day for one week of every month for one year. He will need to take off of work on the fifth and sixth days of each treatment week as the fatigue will cause him to be too tired to function on those days.



More news next week after he begins treatment.